Platforms

Platforms

Case Study: Amplus

How the CHEP system helps streamline complex processes in the fresh food world

Amplus is one of Poland’s leading producers and distributors of fruit and vegetables. Founded in 1992, it is both an importer (mainly of citrus fruits from Spain, Italy and Greece) and an exporter, delivering 300 different products across Europe at a volume of around 100 truckloads per day.

The Challenge

Amplus works in an industry with complex seasonal peaks and troughs, transporting delicate products with a short shelf-life. From a fragmented network of around 1,600 suppliers, it needs to fulfil very high volumes of same-day orders.

The Answer

Amplus was finding that its reliance on the white-wood pallet system was very time-consuming, with high financial and operational costs. The company’s decision to move to CHEP pallet pooling in 2015 has had a hugely positive impact.

The pilot phase assured us of CHEP’s reliability; we are now expanding our work together.

Kamil CzechowskiLogistics Manager, Amplus

The pilot phase: pallet pooling with online ordering

Amplus operates from two bases in Poland, the newest of which opened in May 2015. This ultra-modern facility in Prandocin-Iły includes humidity-controlled cold stores with a total capacity of 17,000 tonnes, thousands of metres of production halls and 31 loading ramps.

Amplus chose to run a pilot phase with CHEP for two months shortly after its new base opened, using CHEP’s online ordering system, Portfolio+Plus. Amplus specifies the number of pallets it needs and where they should be delivered, then informs CHEP where the loaded pallets have been sent, leaving all other pallet-related operations in CHEP’s hands.

Growing in confidence: reduced costs and admin

“Convenience, safety and flexibility are, for us, the most important features of an efficient system,” says Kamil Czechowski, Logistics Manager at Amplus. “We wanted to eliminate the unnecessary work involved in using disposable white pallets, so we decided to switch to CHEP’s pooling system. The pilot phase convinced us that CHEP is a trustworthy and reliable partner, so we are now expanding our work together.”

Amplus is now planning to work with CHEP on an integrated EDI (electronic data interchange) system, to make it quicker and easier for its staff to order equipment and upload data about pallet movements. This project should cut the cost and hassle of pallet management even further.

Ready to expand: extending pooling to Amplus partners

The pilot phase demonstrated streamlined processes, which reduced product damage and loss, and in itself improved relationships with key business partners. It also provided a more environmentally friendly solution. The next step in the partnership between CHEP and Amplus is converting the company’s suppliers to the CHEP system.

Czechowski explains: “We were looking for a partner that could handle all our domestic customers and had the potential to include our foreign markets – and CHEP guaranteed this.”

Five benefits of the CHEP solution

Lower, more transparent costs: no outlay on replacing lost and broken pallets, and no expensive management time spent locating missing ones

Less hassle, more effectiveness: CHEP takes care of pallet inspection, repair and recycling

Improved business relationships: high-quality pallets mean more reliable deliveries and less product damage

Ready for expansion: CHEP’s scale means Amplus can work easily with new foreign trading partners

Amplus plans to work with CHEP on an integrated EDI system to cuts costs and improve performance further